Samuel Whitney Richards (1824-1909)
}} Biography Richards, Samuel Whitney, a veteran Elder in the Church, is the son of Phinehas Richards and Wealthy Dewey and was born Aug. 9, 1824, in Richmond, Berkshire county, Mass. His mind was naturally religiously inclined and as a boy he took much interest in spiritual matters. When he was eleven years old, the fact that a new dispensation from God had come to man on earth in this day was first brought to his mind, by the visits of the "Mormon" Elders to his father's house. Samuel eagerly investigated their message, and at fourteen he yielded obedience to the principle of baptism and became a member of the Church. He was ordained to the Priesthood at the age of fifteen and sent out to labor as a missionary in parts of New York, Connecticut and Vermont. While on this mission he passed through many trials, but notwithstanding his youth and his lack of a collegiate education, he was able, with the assistance of the Lord, to present the gospel in a convincing manner to many of the honest in heart. In 1842 he gathered with his father's family in Nauvoo, Ill., where he became personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum and the other general authorities of the Church. As a daily occupation he labored on the Nauvoo Temple as a carpenter till the completion of the structure. He was present at its dedication, and then began performing ordinance work therein, which work he continued till the final closing of the Temple. In 1846 he left for Europe to perform his first foreign missionary labor. Since that time he has filled three other foreign missions, covering a period of nine years. Though his missionary work in Europe was performed mainly in Great Britain, it also extended to France. Italy, Switzerland and Germany. He has spent altogether sixteen years of his life as a missionary. In America he has labored in all of the New England States, and in eight of the Eastern and Middle States as well as in Canada. For twenty years he held such civil offices in Utah as member of the first city council of Salt Lake City, alderman, police judge, president of the city council, U. S. commissioner for Davis county, justice of Salt Lake county, member of the Territorial legislature, etc., in all of which offices he conducted himself with credit and marked ability. His military career commenced with the Nauvoo Legion, in which body he officiated as drill sergeant. Next he was commissioned in Salt Lake City as colonel of the 2nd regiment of infantry and did service as such till the Legion was disbanded by Gov. Shaffer. From his regiment he furnished and mostly fitted out at his own expense, a company to suppress the Indian uprising in Sanpete county. In 1852-54, as president of the European mission, he edited and published the "Millennial Star." and also published a number of the standard books of the Church. He has also contributed many articles to the different Church periodicals during his long and useful career in the Church.